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Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach out to us here if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Do you go to church nude?

Nudity is always encouraged and preferred by both Lake Como and the Garden of Eden church whenever conditions permit. The current rules at Lake Como state that "Residents, members, and guests of the Resort are expected to be nude in the Resort, weather permitting." Our worship team leads by example by being nude whenever possible as we believe that being nude literally strips us of the pretense that so often accompanies clothing. Nude worship brings us before the Lord in a special and unique way and serves to remind us that God sees us naked in mind, body, and spirit; we hide nothing from him.

How can Christians believe it's okay to be naked in front of others?

The Garden of Eden church believes that many modern-day organized churches are wrong in perpetuating the dogmatic belief that the human body is shameful, inherently sexual, and must always be at least partly covered. The long-term psychological and/or spiritual damage that so many suffer from as the result of this way of thinking and teaching is a shameful legacy of those churches.

With the prevalence of this teaching in organized churches and in our culture in the US, many have come to hate everything that is real about themselves and fail to see the purity of our naked body as God created us. We believe that with this body shaming and sexualization the organized church and society have unintentionally created fertile ground for all manner of depravity to grow and spread.

Hopefully this will help you understand why Christians can see family friendly social nudity as something good that should be encouraged whenever possible. We truly believe that being socially nude brings us closer to the original plan that God has for our lives.

Are all welcome at the GOE Church?

The Garden of Eden Church is a non-denominational Christian church that welcomes people from all walks of life with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Jesus certainly never excluded anyone from coming to him. This is the ideal but unfortunately there are limitations to this because the church is located on the grounds of the Lake Como Family Nudist Resort.

Lake Como provides all the facilities for the church at no cost to the church and supports the ministry and nudist philosophy of the church, but as a part of this the church agrees to be bound by the rules of Lake Como, including passing a background check. Unfortunately, this does mean that some may not be able to attend services for reasons the church can’t control.

Additionally, the Lake Como rules contain expectations for nudity, acceptable clothing, permissible actions, and behavior that applies to anyone who comes to the church. We ask that all who attend church functions familiarize themselves with the rules of Lake Como and willingly conform to them. Please don’t ask the church to circumvent, or ignore violations of, Lake Como's rules.

I want to visit the church, how do I avoid being sexually aroused?

This question is a common one we get from those who have never experienced social nudity before. Unfortunately, in the US we were raised in a culture that equates nudity with sexual arousal. Many in our society and in the organized church believe that you can’t see nudity without having lustful thoughts. Thus, the answer is to cover much of the body even though we know that doesn't prevent lustful thoughts. The “Purity” movement, popular in many churches, goes so far as to encourage men to avoid looking at women by “bouncing their eyes” and yet fail to come to terms with the fact that many in the church fight porn addiction.

At the Garden of Eden church, we believe that this all comes from accepting Satan's view of the body instead of God’s. God created us nude; he saw nothing wrong with it and called his creation “Very Good”. When Adam and Eve fell for Satan’s lies they covered themselves because they were ashamed, but remember God’s second question to them, “Who told you that you were naked?” In other words, who told you there was anything wrong with being naked?

The answer is obvious, the father of lies, who has been lying to us from the beginning of sin in the world. Satan delights in taking anything that God sees as good and twisting it to something evil, and that includes our physical form, the way we feel about ourselves and the way we see others. We have a lot of resources on our website that can help you come to a better understanding about this.

So, when answering this question, the best answer we can give is it all depends on you. Most people, on their first experience with social nudity, quickly learn that simple nudity is really not inherently sexual. It can be a healing experience that restores a healthy self-image and a respect for the wonder of God’s greatest creation. It is truly wonderful to experience life without clothing blunting your sense of touch. The feeling of water, wind, and sun over your whole body brings a joy that is hard to put into words.

For those that learn this, sexual arousal caused by seeing nonsexual nudity is rare and if any visible manifestation occurs it should be covered until it passes. Unfortunately for a few, they can never see nudity without thinking lustful thoughts or becoming sexually aroused, the indoctrination that links the two is just too imbued in their psychological makeup. Usually, we find these are the people that are always seeking the next sexual encounter and much of their energy in life is spent on achieving their next sexual thrill.

For those who can't separate nudity from sex we recommend they do not participate in social nudism and that they seek God's help and strength to turn from this way of thinking. It is always our hope and prayer that all can achieve what so many others have achieved, a real freedom from the sexual immorality of seeing the body as Satan wants you to see it.

If you feel you are ready to try social nudity our advice is that you try it outside of a setting like the Garden of Eden church for the first time you're socially nude. Seek a family nudist resort near you and give it a try. Please proceed carefully, there are also clubs where nudity is allowed, but where nudity is primarily seen as a vehicle for sex. A couple of indicators of clubs like this is when children aren't allowed or they charge less for women to use the club than men.

One of the best resources is to seek clubs associated with the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) https://www.aanr.com/ as the AANR promotes family values along with most of their affiliated clubs. The AANR has a lot of good information about social nudity and resources to find family friendly clubs.

We hope all this is helpful but please remember that in all things those of us at the GOE church are Christians first and nudists second. It is first and foremost our hope and prayer that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and that you are seeking to live a Christlike life, whether or not you believe that social nudity is right for you.

Do I have to pay to come to church services?

The short answer is no. The Garden of Eden Church has an agreement with the management of Lake Como that allows attendance at church functions without having to pay any fees. Please see our “How to Visit” section for more information about this.

Are you Nudists or Naturists? What's the difference?

The term “Nudist” is a common term that has been used for many years to describe a person who engages in nonsexual social nudity in a family-friendly setting. Lately though, the term “Naturist” has become more widely used and many who advocate using “Naturist” instead of “Nudist” believe “Naturist” has a more platonic meaning for them.

There are even parts the world where the term nudist is now rarely (if ever) used in family-friendly settings, and when it is used there are those who see it as denoting those who practice social nudity for more prurient reasons. Even in the United States is becoming more common that people who once referred to themselves as “Nudists” now prefer the term “Naturists”.

There is, however, a segment of the nudist community that pushes back, believing that those who practice family-friendly social nudity should not abandon the term “Nudist” or allow it to be seen as something sexual in nature. To do so would have the potential of shifting the historical perception of social nudity as the term “Nudist” was once the only term used for many years to describe family-friendly social nudity and those that practice it.

So, with this in mind the Garden of Eden church sees “Nudist” and “Naturist” as interchangeable terms, and you will see both terms used on our website and publications. The church itself is located on the grounds of the “Lake Como Family Nudist Resort and Community” which has been a family-friendly nudist resort since its inception in 1941.

It is certainly true that there are those who seek to participate in social nudity with prurient intent. The terms most often used by the nudist community in the United States to describe that activity is “Swinger” or “Lifestyle” and such behavior is not encouraged by the Garden of Eden church or by Lake Como.

What are the services like?

We are a small congregation of believers, and our services are informal with all of us sitting around tables in the Lake Como recreation hall. Pam St. Mary (the founder and pastor) usually leads the services. All work of the church is done by volunteers and the GOE church owns no physical structures. Services usually last between 45-60 minutes.

Communion is offered on the first Sunday of every month and we host a free fellowship breakfast on the second Sunday of every month. The format of services is fairly traditional for a non-denominational Christian church (except that nudity is common). Check out the Sunday bulletins in our downloads section at the top of this page to see the order of service.

Is the GOE church a “Real” church?

Certainly we believe so. Pam is an ordained minister who takes her calling seriously, engaging in ongoing education in pastoral care and demonstrating love and compassion for all through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Garden of Eden (GOE) church is an officially registered and recognized 501(c)(3) Church by both the federal government and the state of Florida.

No one at the church is paid a salary, and all work is done by volunteers. Although the GOE church does not own a building we have a long-standing agreement with the Lake Como Family Nudist Resort to hold services in their Recreation Hall, a shared use building. We also use this structure to host the GOE church’s annual Christian Naturist Festival (CNF).

Unlike many churches we do not hold fund raisers, sell merchandise, pass an offering plate, or preach sermons about giving to the church. All donations to the church are tax deductible and anyone who wishes to see how the GOE church spends donated monies will be provided with a detailed expense report. The services and other church activities are focused on teaching, praise, worship, and mutual love and support, not entertainment.

All are welcome but all must meet the entry requirements of the Lake Como Family Nudist Resort, a reasonable precaution to help ensure the safety and comfort of those in a mixed gender, all ages, social nude environment. Our "Order of Service" bulletins are available in our downloads section at the top of this page. If all this meets your definition of a real church, then by all means, please join us for an unique and special worship experience.

How can I become a member of the GOE church?

Just come to services regularly. As a non-denominational, independent Christian church the Garden of Eden church chooses not to have a formal membership process or much in the way of formal membership roles. We are just a group of believers who frequently attend services together. We call those who come to the GOE church often the “Regulars” and they are what we consider our membership.

Do you stream the GOE church services?

Unfortunately no. Because nudity is common for all who attend the Garden of Eden church we do not have online streaming of the services. This choice was made for the comfort of those attending; so that we don’t inadvertently violate copyright, user agreements or regional laws; and to prevent someone from using our nude images in a way that would not honor God.

Where can I find a nudist church near me?

Many have asked us to help them find a church near them like the Garden of Eden church. Unfortunately, much as we would like to see more Christian nudist churches like ours, we are a small independent, non-denominational church. There is no conference of nudist Christian churches in the world, and not very many independent churches.

Here at Lake Como, Pam had experienced nudist Christian fellowship and wanted more fellowship in a nudist environment where she would be free to be nude and wouldn’t need to hide that from her church family. Thus, she began seeking out others interested in bible study here at Lake Como out of a desire of her heart for further nude Christian fellowship.

Out of a few people gathering for bible study grew the impetus for starting a church. Essentially the Garden of Eden church founded itself, or more accurately was founded by God as he moved on the hearts of those who were gathering together on a weekly basis. You can read more about Pam’s journey on our “About” page.

So, perhaps our best answer to the question of where you can find a nudist church near you is “Wherever you find one”. Our recommendation to those seeking regular Christian nudist fellowship is to seek family-based nudist venues wherever they are, and then to openly share that they're a Christian to others who attend that venue.

We’ve found that those who are not interested quickly identify their disinterest, but we've been able to meet many Christian nudists in this manner. Usually, the Christians at any particular venue can let you know if there are any Christian nudist fellowship group gatherings at the venue or in the surrounding area and if not perhaps you will feel called to start one.

There are also several annual Christian Naturist gatherings in the US (such as our own Christian Naturist Festival each October), you could attend those but that isn't a steady fellowship. You can also check out the Christian Nudist Internet Links below for more information.